Great to be back in Philly today. I'm fired up and ready to go!

"The Four Quadrants of Conformism" (paulgraham.com/conformism.html) has had 468k page views so far, but I haven't seen one person say "As an aggressively conventional-minded person, I'm offended by this."

Recipe: 1. Write an essay. 2. Explain to a friend what you said in it. 3. Go back and rewrite it to say what you just said to your friend.

🥳 A #SciFi & #fantasy anthology I will be a part of has just been funded! Excited to be published alongside so many phenomenal writers. Check out the Kickstarter below, 2 more days left:

I’m hopeful about 2022. This year will undoubtedly have its challenges, just like 2021 did. But we’ve made it this far—and I still believe we can build a brighter future together. Happy New Year!

Space is lovely, dark and deep. You're looking at the deepest infrared image of the universe ever taken—the first full-color image from NASA Webb Telescope. Go deeper on the galaxies of SMACS 0723 at nasa.gov/webbfirstimages #UnfoldTheUniverse

Board composition can make or break your company. When thinking about who to invite to your table, be mindful that this is a long-term relationship. Founders oftentimes look to fill the gaps they're feeling within their org in that particular moment, but that is fleeting. 1/

The very best boards are mission & values aligned with the founders, have relationships & skill sets that add immediate and future value, and can critically discuss your business from a variety of experienced vantage points. Don't sleep on board comp strategy! /end

The Y Combinator application deadline is today. I asked myself what's the most valuable advice I could give, per word, for getting into YC. Explain what you've learned from users. ycombinator.com/apply

Even if you only thought of the idea yesterday, you can still talk to users. In fact, that's the first thing I'd do after working out the first version of most ideas: run it by some potential users to see how they reacted.

Incidentally, it won't carry much weight if you merely say "Potential users love the idea!" You have to say what you *learned* from users. I.e. in what ways your initial model of them was mistaken. If you can't answer that, it's probably not because your model was perfect.

Patagonia’s founder gave the $3 billion company to a set of trusts and nonprofits meant to combat climate change. nyti.ms/3xocRmm

Congratulations Mid-Day Squares !!

The thing that always strikes me about the Airbnb founders is the way they kept going despite a whole year's worth of evidence that the idea wouldn’t work. Hear the story from Brian Chesky himself: pod.link/1677066062/epi… #socialradars

The devil works hard, but Barbie’s marketing team is INSANE Small visual thread of all their awesome work as of late:

Katherine Homuth, a visionary leader and CEO of SRTX, is transforming the apparel industry using material science and smart manufacturing. go.forbes.com/c/DciQ

Our style team tested Sheertex tights by rubbing them against bricks and zippers. Our social manager, Julia Bush, unintentionally tests them every time she wears them and confirms: They’re nearly impossible to rip. See all of the tights we recommend: nyti.ms/495EYaE

Women entrepreneurs don’t get into business just to make money, but to innovate and make real change. Sheertex is an example of that. In an industry that hasn’t seen much change since the 1950s, Katherine Homuth created an iconic product that women around the world wear and

At #ElevateCIX2024 and ran into Natalie Catania, founding team member of Sheertex (my favourite brand of tights! 🥰) If you haven’t tried their products yet, don’t wait! So much better for the environment — my first pair from years ago are still going strong! 🥰🙌